While We’re Young Exposes Generational Divide for Laughs, Drama

 

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Noah Boaumbach’s comedy While We’re Young stars Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts as Josh and Cornelia, a childless New York married couple in their mid-forties. As their other friends all start having children, the couple gravitates toward a young hipster couple named Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried). He’s an aspiring documentary filmmaker, a vocation Josh already has. Soon the older couple begins enjoying the energy they feel hanging out with the younger generation, but eventually Josh begins to suspect his new best friend might not be as straightforward and trustworthy as he thought. While We’re Young screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

 

Baumbach is back! Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young is a maturing of the director potentially taking him to the next stage of his career. As a film, it plays well with his passionate fans as well as converting new ones. He still has his sarcastic bite that embodies his Generation-Y Woody Allen sensibility that embody some of his characters while balancing his Gen-X roots! With his latest, we see he can still work with actors from his previous movies. In his most grounded work in ages, Ben Stiller captures the essence and anxiety of a generation coping with getting older and re-gaining a youthful zest for life. We watch him struggle in the imperfect marriage of his wife (played delicately by Naomi Watts) Reuniting with his Greenberg co-star, Mr. Stiller delivers a comedic performance with realism unlike his last few mainstream roles. I wish Baumbach and Stiller made more movies together. They work great.

 

 

My favorite element to While We’re Young is the screenplay full of funny one-liners, perceptive critiques of Yuppies, quirky situations, developed characters, and a few unexpected twists. While We’re Young has a fast paced first hour introducing us to the setting, situation, and characters. This is a typical strength in a Baumbach movie. He puts time and development into his screenplays. A lot of thought has gone into the first half of this one especially regarding the harsh and tender look at marriage. I was consistently laughing, and at times, in awe of where this movie was heading. If there was a weakness, it was within the last 20 minutes which wasn’t as strong as the rest. It seemed almost lost not knowing what to say about filmmaking.

 

It is challenging to compare While We’re Young to other Noah Baumbach movies. Only the very jaded will view this as a sell out movie, but true fans will understand and embrace this transition. He still maintains his quirkiness. I think die-hard Baumbach fans will love the first 2/3rd’s of the movie, and possibly not the last half hour which, at times, seemed like a different movie! While We’re Young is his most accessible movie to audiences and could do well in the suburbs. Couples who lost that spark in their relationship could relate to Stiller and Watts predicament.  Those who are seeking something new in their lives would see themselves as the older couple in While We’re Young. For his next movie, I’d like to see Noah Baumbach work with Woody Allen. They could collaborate on something cinematic and magical.

 

I rate While We’re Young a 7.5 out of 10.